Cell phones with motion sensors

Kent German, Senior Editor August 22, 2008

Two years ago, most people in the cell phone world had never heard of an accelerometer. But after Apple introduced its first iPhone, suddenly the word was pushed to the forefront of cell phone design consciousness. Though an accelerometer may sound complicated, it's actually a pretty simple concept. Basically, it's a motion sensor that detects acceleration forces and uses those forces to control the phone. Both the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G use accelerometers to rotate the display's orientation automatically as you change from a portrait to a landscape position. They also use the sensors for gaming; as you tilt the phone to and fro, the game will respond accordingly. It's a nifty and convenient feature, and it's certain to illicit a few oohs and aahs from the uninitiated. But the iPhone and the iPhone 3G aren't the only cell phones to have accelerometers. The LG Dare and Sony Ericsson W760i and K850i also use them to varying degrees. The W760i and K850i have accelerometers for gaming and their music players while the W760i and Dare offer the same screen-rotating feature as the iPhone.